Midnight Rescue

One of the things you need to know about me is that I LOVE DOGS! The first thing we did when we moved to a house with a big yard was buy a couple of Yellow Labs. I love my labs. A lab is the most friendly, loyal, loving, and fun dog on earth. We have a male called Dakota and a female called Libby (featured in the picture above).

They are very happily married and have had several litters of puppies together.

A few years ago, in a most amazing miracle that John Bunn could use as an illustration in his message Sunday, my kids talked me into getting an inside dog. Enter Libby, a Bichon Frise (see picture).

I never thought I would have an inside dog. First, they do dumb things like pee on your carpet. Second, and most importantly, they are little, prissy, and sub-par to the mighty masculine Labrador Retriever. But I must admit I kinda like Ellie now that she has been with us for a couple years.

So where is all this talk about a "Rescue". Well, the other night I was up late trying to wind-down after getting whipped in tennis by my nephew Zach. Ellie started acting a little bit funny and went to the door. So Becky thought Ellie just needed to out before going to bed. When we put Ellie out she immediately started barking and tugging on her leash looking towards our storage barn. This was unusual so Becky stuck her head out the door to see what was wrong.

What Becky heard was a very faint whimper or cry. She listened carefully and heard it again. She got scared and started calling for our labs to come, but only Dakota came. Libby was missing!

It was midnight so we got some flashlights and lanterns and headed outside. We followed the faint whimpers until we reached our storage barn a couple hundred feet from our house. What we found was a scary sight. Libby had tried to follow a ground hog under the barn and had gotten stuck. She had been there for hours and was exhausted from trying to dig her way out through the tough limestone base. She was laying on her side and we could just barely see her head and front paws.

We tried to pull her out but to no avail. So Becky calmly stroked her head as I began digging a bigger hole underneath the barn. In a few quick minutes we were able to successfully pull her out! She was rescued and showed no signs of injury.

So, our little "inside dog" was able to hear Libby's faint barks from inside the house and warned us! Isn't that cool! This is right up there with the best Lassie episode.

So now our dogs are back together again!

Tag - I'm it

Now this is the kind of exercise I like, "Virtual Tag". Can I count steps for my wellness contest for every person who reads this???

Okay, David , I'll play along with your game.

The Rules:

Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
Players should tag 2-8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.


8 Random Facts about me:

1. I've never drank a beer (I've done crack and meth, though!) (just kidding Mom)
2. I have a Hawaiian heritage (My dad is native Hawaiian and lived there when Pearl Harbor was bombed)
3. I would rather walk on cut glass then eat anything with Coconut in it.
4. One of my all-time favorite shows is Little House on the Prairie. My kids make fun of me because I often cry when watching it (I will note at this point that I scored way above average on Masculinity on my personality test)(see map on the right) (so no wise cracks)
5. I spent one year at Cedarville University and drove home every weekend (3 hr trip) just to be with my girl friend. I had to get special permission from the Dean of Students. Not sure what I said to convince him it was a family emergency. Too bad she dumped me the following summer! (just kidding again, it was my lovely and endearing wife, Becky who I couldn't live without!!)
6. I drove by Bill Clinton as he was jogging down the street in Washington D.C. The rumor is that I swerved to try and hit him, narrowly missed, and instead knocked off 3 secret service men. This, of course, is absolutely not true. (The secret service men were not injured)
7. I can't float in a pool of water. I always was concerned about this until 10th grade when I learned that muscle is more dense than fat and people who have lots of muscle have trouble floating! So now I am totally absolved from being aquatically challenged!
8. I tried to sneak into a casino when I was 16 and the age limit was 21. Unfortunately, I got stopped and carded by the security guard. Fortunately I had my brother-in-law's ID as a backup plan. Unfortunately he was 4" taller than me, had a beard and blue eyes (my are brown). Fortunately, the security guard didn't take his job seriously and let me through.

Hey, this was fun. I now tag Dave Mast - Geek at Large, The Invisible Kevin West, and the Speedy Jessica Rilke. Have fun!!!

Why We Remember What We Remember

Check out this picture. Do you know what it is? Some of you might think it looks like a spoiled, deformed pile of Spam, but those of you who passed anatomy in school will immediately identify it as the human brain! In this particular case, it is a NewPointe Staff member's brain but HIPPA will not let me tell you which one! I'll give you a hint, this is a hugely oversized specimen (sorry David, I couldn't help it) :)

So why do we remember what we remember? I am no expert in cognitive psychology but I have done some research in this area. Here is what I found. Experts say we remember things that we have an emotional attachment to.

Think back to the vivid memories you have as a child. You probably remember events where you were surprised, scared, embarrassed, or extremely happy.

I can remember some really weird things about my childhood. For example, I can remember as a Kindergartner staying after school to watch a basketball game, getting sick, not making it to the restroom in time, and throwing up in my sister's hands (Wow, is that gross or what!) I can't remember which teams were playing, I can't remember who won, I can't remember what the school looked like, I can't remember the names of any of my classmates, BUT I sure can remember every detail of blowing those chunks! The reason I can remember is that it was extremely embarrassing (i.e. Emotional).

Other vivid memories I have involve receiving a puppy on my 6 yr birthday (extreme happiness), staying up all night staring at the closet because my brother told me there was a monster who would come out and get me when I fell asleep (fear), hitting a home run when I was 10 (excitement), and giving my mom a special ring on Mother's Day (sentiment and love)!

What kind of memories do you have from way back. Any weird ones? Ever wonder why you can remember those and not normal things? I'm betting you had a strong emotional tie to each of them.

So you are probably wondering why I am blogging about this. Well beside it being another random thought that I like to think about, it also has a tie to NewPointe.

When we plan our services, a lot of time and effort goes into creating a "God Moment". A "God Moment" is when everything we have programmed that morning culminates into an incredible moment when you get a vivid connection to God. We try to involve all your senses through videos, dramas, special songs and music, dynamic messages, creative thoughts, and even quiet moments. All these combined to touch your emotions and help you remember your God moment.

For me, many times I can vividly remember an illustration, drama, or song that touched me but could not tell you the specifics of the message. I can vividly remember my God Moments from many years ago. This helps me as I grow in my walk with God.

My number one God Moment at NewPointe actually took place in our Sugarcreek building when we had people come forward with handheld signs that would show what their lives used to be and then they would flip the signs and show what their lives are now (i.e. life change by Jesus Christ!). This was a carefully planned, creative/non-traditional element that was inserted into the service.

What do you remember as your "God Moments"?

Thank you to our Service Programming team at NewPointe for creatively making "God Moments" possible for us week after week!!!

Let's Feed the Hungry!

At the church I attend, NewPointe, we are in the middle of a series called "Miracles". John Bunn has been "hitting home" on numerous topics. The first message was on "Storms" and how many of us at some time or another will be in the middle of a storm. Just like Jesus calmed the waters for his disciples in the middle of their storm, we need to turn to Jesus and ask him to calm our storms (the key here is that He may not remove the storm but actually use the storm to improve us - so we are actually the ones that get "calmed").

John also talked about how God can do the impossible. That is what a Miracle really is. So John is challenging us at NewPointe to put our faith into action and do something for our community that many would say is impossible. Are you ready for this?

We are going to fill every shelf in every room in every building of every food bank in Holmes and Tuscaraws counties with food for a month!!!

We have calculated that this will take 800-1000 boxes of food items (10-15 items per box). I can tell you right now that this seems impossible. However, we are putting our faith out there on the edge and trusting God that he can help us make this possible.

It never ceases to amaze me how many hurting people we have in our community that we do not even realize. There is a BIG need for food pantries in our area and they struggle with staying stocked. So we are going to put forth an even BIGGER effort in a food drive and help our friends and neighbors.

This is not going to be a walk-in-the-park. A thousand boxes of food is going to be really, really hard to accumulate. So we are asking every one to pitch in. If you are reading this blog and attend NewPointe than PLEASE help us. Start bringing food this Sunday. We will be collecting through the month of July. If you do not attend NewPointe but would still like to help us do the impossible for our community, I invite you to pitch-in with some food!! Just drop it off at the church any time or call me and I'll come get it!

This is HUGE! We want to be a miracle for those who may not know where the next meal is coming from. Please spread the news!

LET'S GET'R DONE!

"Shall We Stand"

Let me share a quick story with you. When I was a kid I went to a small, conservative, Baptist church. I went every Sunday, sat in the same spot, near the same people, and looked forward to the same 3 words every week, "Shall we stand".

You see, my church service as a kid was pretty boring and I always looked forward to the end of the sermon. The way I knew the sermon was finished was the pastor ALWAYS said "Shall we stand" when he was done. It was always very dramatic, too. His voice would get softer and softer and sometimes he would even whisper those 3 special words.

It got to the place where my sister and I would try to anticipate the exact moment those special words would be uttered. We would look at each other and lip sync them. Sometimes our pastor would throw us a curve and just when you thought he was ready to close it out, he would get another wind, raise his voice and go another round. Of course we would roll our eyes and try to prepare again for that long-awaited moment.

Sometimes our game of guessing the "closing" would get us in trouble. We would end up giggling or laughing at each other and then the ultimate church-time discipline would occur. Right there in the middle of everyone watching our Mom would make one of us get up and sit on the other side of her to separate us. Did that ever happen to you?

So you're probably wondering why I am bothering to tell you this story. Well here it is. Today I was sitting in church at NewPointe and I thought to myself how quickly time flies by for me during our service. I am simply thankful that I can attend a church service that is interesting, stimulating, fun, challenging, and brings me closer to God each week. I am thankful that I don't spend the whole time wondering when the pastor will say "Shall we stand".

God wants us to enjoy life. Jesus said, "I come to give you life and give it more abundantly." This includes the part of our life that we sit in church.

If you happen to go to a church where you watch the clock and daydream till the pastor closes in prayer, I want to challenge you to find a church you enjoy. There is no reason church cannot be fun and something you look forward to.

I love going to church. I look forward to it. I want the same for you, too!

Is it PRESSURE or STRESS?

Have you ever heard someone say, "Man, I'm so stressed out!"? Or "I'm just under so much stress right now" Or how about "I'm really feeling the pressure."

What does that really mean? Is that bad? Are those all the same?

A lot of people ask me how I'm doing since I left the corporate world and came to work at the church. Usually they say, "I bet it's a lot less stressful". So I started thinking more about this (I love to think!)

The true answer is I definitely have a lot less "stress" BUT I'm under a lot more "pressure". To me pressure is not a bad thing. In fact sometimes its a good thing. Lots of times I do my best work when I am under pressure. I often get an adrenaline rush that propels me. I get excited and motivated that combine to generate productivity. I feel the "pressure" and it helps move me towards action or resolution.

Stress, on the other hand, is something I feel that weighs on me. It drags me down. It leads me to un-productiviy, inefficiency, low energy, complacency. Stress comes from worrying about something I cannot change - obsessing about something I cannot control. Stress is simply a downer!

In many sports you will hear of an athlete who strives under pressure. He loves to take the last second shot, or she lives for moments when the score is tied and the coach calls her number. Then, on the other side of the coin, there are those who choke under that same pressure. The only difference between thriving and choking is their state of mind.

In life we can't avoid pressure situations. They are just there. However, we can choose our reaction to the pressure or how we think about it (i.e. our state of mind).

So why am I less stressed now even though I'm under more pressure? Its because I have chosen to trust God with everything I am doing. I am so convinced that he has put me in this position that I do not WORRY about whether I am right or wrong or successful or unsuccessful, or meeting peoples expectations or disappointing them. I'm simply doing my best and letting God take care of the rest. I have confidence that I am doing what God wants me to do. Is there any better place to be?

There is no better feeling than delivering when the pressure is on. So right now if you feel stressed, take a stab at looking at your situation as an opportunity to come through in the clutch, to hit the game-winning buzzer-beating shot. Change your mindset and watch your stress turn from a life-sucking hindrance to a life-changing catalyst!